Prayer for the Day

by Revd Canon David White

3rd May 2026 - 5th Sunday of Easter

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
The hatred which divides nation from nation,
race from race, class from class. Father forgive.
The covetous desires of people and nations
to possess what is not their own. Father forgive.
The greed which exploits the work of human hands
and lays waste the earth. Father forgive.
Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others. Father forgive
Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned,
The homeless, the refugee. Father forgive
The lust which dishonours the bodies of
men, women and children. Father forgive
The pride which leads us to rust in ourselves
and not in God. Father forgive
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Amen.

Last week I was at a conference at Coventry Cathedral entitled “Practical Peace-making – from global to local”. Coventry Cathedral is the home of the Community of the Cross of Nails, which hosted and ran the conference together with the Third Order of the Society of St Francis (of which I am a member). This prayer is said in the Cathedral every day at 12 noon and is a penitential litany that has its origins in the tragic and enormously destructive bombing of Coventry by the Luftwaffe on 14th November 1940.

Whilst the prayer concerns global issues it is also a strong reminder that peace and reconciliation begin in each of us – ‘we must be the change we wish to see’ said Ghandi. The prayer’s closing phrase emphasises the need for us to be kind, forgiving and tender-hearted – just as Christ calls us to be.